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KiHa 183 series
The KiHa 183 series and the related N183 and NN183 series, occasionally branded HET 183 (H'okkaido '''E'xpress 'T'rain), are Limited Express diesel multiple units used by the JNR and later JR Hokkaido and JR Kyushu. Built from 1979 to 1991 for the JNR (and later JR Hokkaido and JR Kyushu), the KiHa 183 series was the first dedicated Limited Express-type diesel car that was used by the JNR in the Hokkaido region. History Built from 1979 to 1991 by a whole host of companies including Fuji Heavy Industries (now known as Subaru Corporation), Hitachi and Niigata Tekkō, the KiHa 183 series was the first diesel railcar that was designed for use in the Hokkaido region, with additional features added to the cars that allow them to withstand colder environments. The sets were also meant to replace the KiHa 80 series sets that were used on Hokkaido's lines for a long time and were deemed to be close to their life expiration. The first set, a pre-production set, entered service on 10 February 1980 and was used on Ōzora, Hokkai, Okhotsk and Hokuto services on the Sekishō Line; more sets were built and introduced over the coming years. Over the next few years, improved sets known as the '''N183 and NN183 series sets were introduced as well, with different designs from the normal bonnet-nosed sets. The sets have been slowly withdrawn from service since approximately 2001, although a variety of KiHa 183 series cars have been converted to serve other purposes as well on the JR Hokkaido system. Most of JR Hokkaido's sets are currently in service and are based at Hakodate, Kushiro, Naebo and Sapporo Depots. Some of JR Hokkaido's sets were also transferred to Myanmar and Thailand and used on the railways there. A single purpose-built four-car KiHa 183 series set was manufactured by JR Kyushu's Kagoshima Works and Fuji Heavy Industries in 1988 and 1989, with one of the cars being produced in knockdown kit form at JR Kyushu's Kagoshima Works. The purpose-built set, designated the KiHa 183-1000 series, was based on the N183 series sets used by JR Hokkaido, and entered service on the Holland Village Express Joyful Train service on 13 March 1988. Since entering service, the set has undergone refurbishment four times, being allocated to a different Joyful Train service each time; after its stint on the Holland Village Express service from 1988 to 1992, it then operated on the Yufuin No Mori II service (1992 – 1999), then the Siebold service (1999 – 2003), then the Yufu DX service (2004 – 2011), and finally the Aso Boy! service, which it has served since 2011. The set is currently based at Kumamoto Depot. Two of JR Hokkaido's KiHa 183 series cars are to be preserved as part of a crowdfunding effort by Japanese railfans. Design The cars had a very different style to various Japanese DMUs as manufactured by Fuji Heavy Industries, Niigata Tekkō and similar companies. The body style of the sets was actually very heavily based on what was seen on the 781 series sets, in addition to incorporating various design elements of the 781 series sets into the bodies of the KiHa 183 series sets as well, such as a rounded profile to prevent snow adhesion. The N183 and NN183 series cars resemble the KiHa 185 series railcars a fair bit. The KiHa 183-1000 series set, however, detracted from the normal look of the normal KiHa 183 series sets, and instead opted for a more refined appearance with a panoramic cab section. The KiHa 183-1000 series set has a unique double-headed coupler with both knuckle and Shibata-type couplers mounted on a rotating post. Cab variations There are four cab variations of the KiHa 183 series sets; one of which is the standard bonnet-nosed front end, another is used on some KiHa 183 series cars, another of which is the body style used on the N183 and NN183 series sets and the fourth is used on the purpose-built KiHa 183-1000 series set. KiHa 183 Taisetsu Asahikawa 2017.jpg|A KiHa NN183 series set on a Taisetsu service at Asahikawa Station in March 2017. KiHa 183 Okhotsk Hakodate 2009.jpg|A KiHa 183 series set on an Okhotsk service between Ebetsu and Toyohoro Stations on the Hakodate Main Line in January 2009. KiHa 183 Aso Boy Hakata 2016.jpg|The dedicated KiHa 183 series set used by JR Kyushu used on a variety of Joyful Train services in October 2016. The set is currently used on the Aso Boy! service. KiHa 183-1000 Coupler.jpg|The special coupler of the KiHa 183-1000 series set. Specifications Construction is of steel. Each car is 21.3 meters long, 2.903 meters wide and 4.09 meters high. The sets use a wide variety of prime movers for each of the various specifications of the cars, with some older cars having their older prime movers switched out for newer and more powerful ones. References Category:JR Group trains Category:Fuji Heavy Industries locomotives Category:Hitachi locomotives Category:Niigata Tekkō locomotives Category:Diesel Trainsets